Tuck into a strudel and break out the Dostoevsky. The Hungarian Pastry Shop is a New York landmark, chockfull of earnest graduate students and a few cappuccino-swilling tourists who find their way uptown. With this $25 gift certificate, you'll have reason to linger and soak up the  old world ambience.

Location: 1030 Amsterdam Ave (between 111th St & Cathedral Parkway), New York City.